Chapter 2: To Destiny

A night had passed since then.

Perhaps thanks to the fact that I meekly returned home afterward, I was able to spend my usual everyday life without incident.

The contemporary vampire incident was making a buzz in the 7 PM news and newspapers, which proved that the death flag was still active. I talked about it superficially with my parents, saying things like, "Things have gotten dangerous recently," as if it were someone else's problem.

But honestly, as the chicken-hearted person I am, I was internally terrified.

However, after reading the news and newspapers, I finally found a glimmer of hope for a survival flag. According to the reports, the incident sites were mostly alleys in the entertainment district and back streets, and not a single case had occurred in the residential area where I currently live.

If you think about it, the concealment of Mystery in the Nasuverse is like, "It's fine to kill ordinary people, but obey the limits. As long as you don't generally make it public, it's O.K."

With this kind of stance, it's hard to say that they are actively hunting down Magecraft deviants, with the exception of the Holy Church.

It's truly a specification that is not kind to ordinary people. However, conversely, if things are reported this much, they won't hesitate to mercilessly exterminate for the sake of concealing the Mystery.

Therefore, if Roa, who caused all this, has even a shred of rationality left, he needs to hide for his survival.

His vampiric acts should also be restricted to guerrilla attacks in the entertainment district, rather than resorting to breaking into houses like the Casters did in the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Based on the above, the path for me to avoid the death flag is:

'Return home before evening'

'Avoid the entertainment district'

'Do not go out at night'

Simply following these is sufficient.

Ah, good, good, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Moreover, maybe because my long-standing anxiety has cleared, my body feels light... this feeling is new. I am afraid of nothing anymore.

...Hmm, is that Shiki, whose back I see at the corner?

Perfect timing. I'll express this refreshing feeling to him with a morning greeting.

"Good morning!! Shi—"

"W-Whoaaaaaaah—!!!"

"Eh, what!?"

As soon as I gave a cheerful morning greeting, Shiki, for some reason, screamed and ran off toward the school without even holding his bag.

I don't get it.

Wait, who is that blonde person who just came out from around the corner of the road?

"Hmph, you made me take unnecessary trouble. Oh, it's you."

"...Hello, good morning."

She waved at me, saying "Yahhoo," so I returned the greeting.

It seems that, whether it's Shiki or Arihiko, I don't know if I'm unlucky or lucky, but I have a high tendency to run into original characters. And this time, a flag for an encounter with the True Ancestor Princess has been raised.

"Hey, you. Are you an acquaintance of that murderer?"

And the very first thing she asked me was about the original event.

The expression on her perfectly formed face was perhaps one of 'curiosity,' as she peered into my face.

"Um, at the very least, Shiki and I are just friends, and he's not a dangerous person like a murderer."

"......Hmph, huh, is that so?"

I couldn't tell her the truth that was about to unfold, so I stated a harmless fact. But the vampire narrowed her scarlet eyes and stared at me as if sizing me up. The emotion expressed, learned from Shiki, was perhaps 'suspicion.'

Wait, did I... step on a landmine? Did she see through my "I'm not lying, but I'm not telling the truth" Father Kotomine-like statement?

Surely, not telling the truth couldn't possibly mean a drop in affection, resulting in a death flag established by the True Ancestor... right? Right?

"Well, whatever. More importantly, he forgot this, so please hand it over to him."

Ignoring my anxiety, she said this, let go immediately, and handed me the bag, quickly trying to leave the spot.

...Good. It seems the death flag was not raised. Though I can't say that this lack of an affection flag won't lead to a Tiger Dojo route later, depending on the route split.

"Oh, and one more thing."

She turned back to me. Her purple skirt spread out like a flower and then settled. I should call her a Mikaeri Bijin (a beauty looking back). For a moment, I was moved, thinking that even if my 2D wife became 3D, she would be this wonderful. But the person before me had a sunflower-like smile.

"Tell him he has to take responsibility for killing me, okay?"

And with that, she uttered something incredibly ominous.

I encountered an original character on the way to school, and to keep my promise to her, I immediately went to Shiki's location after arriving at school.

I barely made it to school on time because of the conversation with her, but Shiki was waiting in the classroom for class, so perhaps it saved me some trouble.

"...............”

The problem, perhaps, or rather, definitely, was that because of his encounter with the True Ancestor Princess, he was enveloped in a hard-to-approach atmosphere, and I didn't know how to start the conversation.

No, a man needs courage.

Ah, I'm a fresh high school girl (JK) now, but still, courage!

Yes, let's talk to him without reading the room.

"Shiki..."

"Whoaaaaah!!"

"Whoa!?"

Contrary to my expectation, he reacted quite strongly. I was startled when he suddenly screamed. Well, more importantly,

"Shiki, your bag. It was on the side of the road, so I picked it up."

"A-Aah..."

His face remained pale as he cautiously accepted the bag.

"By the way, Shiki,"

"What is it, Yumizuka?"

"The blonde, red-eyed woman said something like, 'He has to take responsibility,' what was that about?"

Shiki's face turned even whiter the moment he heard that. Although I'm used to him collapsing from anemia, watching his face genuinely lose all color in real life is unsettling.

Sigh, right. I don't want any more seriousness this early in the morning, so...

"Could it be... that you've secured a blonde, large-breasted heroine?"

"Why would you say that!?"

Thanks to the light joke, the gloomy atmosphere from earlier was dispelled.

However, the guy who was eavesdropping nearby, Arihiko Inui, with whom I've been friends since middle school, seemed to have heard it perfectly.

"Hey, Tohno! What did you mean by that! Explain, you—."

"Wait, Arihiko, explain... what!?"

He lightly squeezed Shiki's neck playfully, and Shiki retorted, as usual. The two were happily making a ruckus together.

Hmm, it's good that the dark atmosphere Shiki had earlier has lifted.

"Ah, you three over there. It's good that you're getting along, but class is starting."

I was observing the two, but at this point, a third party intervened. The homeroom teacher's unenthusiastic voice signaled the start of homeroom.

Hmm, is it that time already?

Well, let's return to our usual routine.

Morning classes ended, and I left the suddenly noisy classroom.

I immediately went with Ciel-senpai to the cafeteria for lunch, 'as usual.'

During that time, Arihiko actively approached Senpai, and Senpai lightly brushed him off—this was also a part of the 'usual routine' being played out.

"Ciel-senpai, you like curry, don't you?"

"Yes, very much so."

"Senpai, here, please. This way, if you don't mind."

Shiki was blankly staring out the window, and I sat down at the table Arihiko had secured for us in advance. Guiding Ciel-senpai to the seat next to mine was a needlessly sharp move on his part.

"Hey, are you two acquainted with this senpai?"

"Huh, oh come on, Tohno. With the morning event and all, your anemia is even worse today."

"That's mean! Tohno-kun, did you perhaps forget about me?"

While glancing sideways at Shiki, who tilted his head in confusion, I quickly slurped my soba. Ciel-senpai stood up with a start, peering into Shiki's eyes with teary eyes, looking up at him. Shiki slightly flinched from being looked at so closely by a woman.

"I'm sorry, I tend to be quite forgetful."

"Oh well, I guess it can't be helped."

Please don't forget next time, she said, and then resumed eating.

The sequence of movements had absolutely no special meaning, but I, who was secretly watching, felt that Senpai's eyes had momentarily flashed. Should I say this is also just as the original story? That was probably her implanting a false memory into Shiki.

And the next event from the original story that is about to happen is...

"This is the news. Early this morning—a body believed to be part of the series of murders was found by the river—."

Not just us, but everyone in the cafeteria turned their attention to the voice flowing from the TV.

According to the report, the victim had again been drained of all their blood, and whispers about the topic spread through the cafeteria.

When I shifted my gaze to Ciel-senpai in front of me, her face was normal, but her eyes somehow held a sharp brilliance.

Shiki, on the other hand, reacted to the word 'murder,' stood up from his chair, and was covered in a cold sweat.

"Hey, Tohno, what's wrong again? Well, more importantly, that's dangerous, man. Can't even go out at night now."

There was one person who spoke casually, not reading the room, but in a sense, this might be a normal reaction too.

"Hey, Yumizuka."

"What is it?"

I finished my soba, took a sip of cold water, and then answered Shiki's anxious question.

"You saw a blonde, red-eyed woman, right?"

He asked me about the morning's incident, perhaps wanting to confirm the reality that someone he thought he had killed had been resurrected. I understand his desire to deny it, and frankly, if I were Shiki, I'd do the same.

However, fact is fact. And denying it here would be pointless, so I stated the truth.

"Yes, I did. Why do you ask?"

"No, it's nothing... Sorry, I'm going back first."

He seemed quite shocked by the possibility that the person he killed was alive. He pressed his head, said that, and then stumbled back to the classroom.

"Is he alright?"

It happens all the time, though, Arihiko mumbled, watching Shiki leave.

Ciel-senpai... wait, why did she look strangely scary at me?

"Ciel-senpai?"

"Huh? Ah, n-nothing at all. More importantly, the woman you saw was blonde and red-eyed, correct? Could you tell me how you met her, Yumizuka-san?"

She asked about our morning encounter in a 'senpai-like' tone. However, while her expression was that of a schoolgirl 'very curious about gossip,' given the content, her eyes were definitely not smiling.

Somehow, between this and the morning, I feel like I didn't just raise a strange flag, but I stomped on a landmine.

"Well, Shiki seemed to have dropped his bag on his way to school, and the woman who picked it up asked me to hand it to him on her behalf."

"I see... Thank you, Yumizuka-san."

After hearing my statement, Senpai seemed outwardly satisfied, but inwardly, she clearly wasn't.

Well, aside from me, who knows the context beforehand, the True Ancestor Princess is essentially a Gaia combat machine, so emotional actions are generally non-existent. That's probably the common knowledge in the hidden world.

"Senpai, the lunch break is almost over. Let's head out soon."

"Oh, is it that late already? Yes, let's do that."

I seized the opportunity to urge a wrap-up, and we dispersed for the day.

Afterward, Arihiko, undeterred, kept appealing to Senpai, but he was once again brushed off and suffered a crushing defeat.

"No, not yet. I won't give up. I will be resurrected again and again!!"

"No, just give up."

Time passed like that, and it was after school.

While I was in a proper sports club in middle school, in high school, I belong to something more like a casual club. Also, since the school strongly encourages early dismissal, I was walking toward the school gate with the joy of being able to go home early when I spotted Shiki, who had left earlier during lunch.

Since Shiki moved from the Arima house to the Tohno house, our way home is the same direction. When I suggested we walk home together, Shiki readily agreed.

...The truly pathetic hidden motive of possibly using him as a bodyguard deeply hurt my conscience.

Then Arihiko tried to provoke us by saying, "You two are lovey-dovey~," so I smiled and calmly narrated the complete history and details of all the women he'd confessed to and been rejected by. He cried, "Damn it!! How do you know that!?" and ran home.

Since I was originally a guy, I couldn't quite get used to the habits of female friendships, so I have deeper ties with boys like Shiki and Arihiko and not many deep friendships with girls. But I can hear this much information, Arihiko-kun.

Besides, you are too famous. The girls secretly have a high opinion of you, but you're also treated as a running joke. They were enjoying wondering how you'd try to flirt next or how you'd confess next.

"――――And so, my curfew is 7 PM, that's the thing."

"Hmm, oh. That sounds tough."

Whoops... I shouldn't. I got caught up in a flashback while we were talking.

"So, have you tried negotiating with Akiha-san about it?"

"Nah, the thing is, Akiha won't listen to me at all..."

The conversation was about 'Family and life after being reunited after a long time.' It was a typical scenario where the surprisingly playful Shiki complained about his overly strict and predetermined lifestyle, and I listened.

In this way, we walked through the darkening town, simply enjoying a casual conversation. Every day is the same, an unchanging routine—all of which is satisfying to me.

But even this blissful time must come to an end. We have to part ways since our homes are in the same direction but not the same place.

"See ya, talk to you tomorrow."

"Mm, see you tomorrow."

We exchanged goodbyes at the junction. Exchanging greetings like this is part of our daily life, but depending on my actions tonight, it might just end as a fleeting dream.

No, it's more than that. Even in games, you can easily die depending on the choices you make. Moreover, this is a definite reality. So, even if I'm safe, if he makes the wrong choice, we won't be able to meet like this again.

"I'm sorry. I can't do anything, but don't die, Shiki."

I know about Shiki's future possibilities. But despite that, I won't teach him or help him.

It's also a certainty that I don't know what kind of butterfly effect my actions might cause. But first and foremost, I don't want to get caught up and die. I know that I deserve criticism for this self-preservation.

But I know this: if Shiki dies, I will never forget the fact that I abandoned him out of my own self-preservation.

Never.

"Goodbye, Shiki. See you tomorrow."

I watched his retreating back until the very end. Then, due to the quick onset of the winter night, with a faint moon appearing, I hurried on my way home.

I happened to look up, and the moon was a crescent. It was far from a full moon, but...

—I felt like its shape looked like a mouth sneering at the fate to come.